Whether you’ve been living in Indonesia for five years or five months, it’s likely you’ve had a bout of the homesickness blues. Due to the COVID-19 travel restrictions which have severely disrupted the movement of people around the world, there are not many opportunities to return home for another visit.

Around the world have to find other ways to combat homesickness. Far from a passing feeling, homesickness can have some very real effects on sufferers when it really sets in. So it really does make sense to take care of your mental health, and that includes tackling homesickness head on. With that in mind, we’ve compiled some top tips for expats in Indonesia:

Stay In Touch With Your Loved Ones
Meeting up with your mates on Zoom or Facetime is better than nothing. Don’t let time zones and other factors hinder your relationships with friends and family back home, try and stay in touch as much as possible. Meeting with family and friends abroad in a different time zone presents some additional challenges. You will risk disturbing their sleep. One strategy for internalizing time differences is to keep one of your electronic devices, such as a laptop or tablet, in your hometown time zone until you adjust it. It's a great way to maintain your relationship while you're away.

Create Your Own Routine
Do a hobby or activity that you enjoy, such as cooking, reading a book, or watching a movie. In addition to increasing productivity, these activities can also eliminate boredom. For example, watch some TV from home, It might sound silly, but if you’re feeling very disconnected from your home nation, watching some local TV can help cheer you up and make you feel more at home. Granted, you can’t just switch on your TV in Indonesia and expect to see channels from home, but there are a few clever workarounds to this problem and they involve changing your device’s IP address.

Embrace The Local Culture
We all know that one curmudgeonly expat who spends their time complaining about the local food, weather, culture, and and and… Don’t be that guy. Try and embrace the local culture and find the stuff you love about it. Othering yourself and remaining isolated from the people around you can make feelings of homesickness more intense.
By using social media, we can post photos and videos of local arts and Indonesian regional culture. With this topic, it has indirectly introduced our culture to foreign countries. This is because those who use social media or the internet are not limited to only Indonesians, but everyone in the world. Introducing Indonesian culture abroad can also be done by wearing clothes that reflect Indonesian culture.

We hope these tips to combat expat homesickness were helpful. Don’t forget to reach out to others in the expat community for further help and support.